Unravel
by Karmitara
Summary: "Can you tell me, please tell me, what this plot is all about.. Exactly, who resides within me? I'm broken, so broken - amidst this world. Yet you laugh, blind to everything. Being as broken as I am, I hold my breath, And it can't be unraveled, it can no longer be unraveled.. Not even the truth. Breakable; unbreakable - psychotic; unable to go insane I'll find you, and..!"
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING! MENTIONS OF TORTURE AND** **PHYSIOLOGICAL** **PROBLEMS, AND A HUGE CLIFFHANGER THAT I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL EVER FIX. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

A scream filled the air, the tortured noise resounding through the abandoned buildings. Somewhere off in the distance, I'm sure some birds flew off in fear. I don't blame them. I would too if I could...

Another scream ripped from my throat as the cigar clipper was clenched around my finger again. Fun fact: I can regrow my limbs. It hurt, but they kept growing back. Yay me. Deep in my mind, I wished that they wouldn't so that my captors would just kill me already. Everything hurt and whenever I regenerated something, it was just a matter of time before it was cut off again.

I've been held here for so long now, all I knew was pain and screams and the sadistic laughs from the men who chained me to this chair. I assumed that Mr. Stark would have saved me by now, but it's already been days... My thoughts betrayed me and played images of him lazing around on a fancy beach somewhere with the other Avengers.

No. No, they would never do that to me. They would never forget about me. They had to be coming for me, they wouldn't leave me here. They were coming. They had to be...

Every time the door opened, I expected to see Mr. Stark standing there and apologizing for taking so long; or Captain America coming to break off my chains and call me son; maybe even Thor in all his Norse god glory... It just hurt so much more when it wasn't any of them.

"What's one thousand minus seven?" The man asked, moving around the side of my chair. I had learned early on that this was a tactic for keeping me sane through their torture, used only when they thought I was on the brink of losing it. I thought it was a joke at first... I had told them I hated math, and I'd much prefer a science question. They pulled out a tooth in response(which grew back in a day).

"N-Nine hundred and th-three..."

"Count backwards to one."

My breathing was ragged as I closed my eyes tightly, wishing to be anywhere than here as I started counting.

 **"Kill them..."**

My eyes opened, the demonic voice ringing in my mind. What was that...?

 **"You pathetic child, kill them that hurt you."**

"Wh-Who...?"

"Count!"

Another crunch and another scream, but no more strange voice. Was I really starting to lose it? Was the torture finally mounting up too high for my mind and destroying me? Was the counting failing? I was surprised it lasted this long.

The man left me, my 'session' finished for today. I was able to rest until my body healed at the bare minimum tomorrow. God, why didn't they just kill me already? They didn't even ask me questions! They just came in and tortured me then left. How was I supposed to get out of this if they didn't even ask questions?

 **"Why do you not kill them?"**

I opened my eyes again, blinking as I looked around. I was no longer chained to the chair or in the room with blood everywhere. I was somewhere surrounded by red for as far as I could see. I turned around in a circle, trying to figure out what was happening. I didn't hurt... I wasn't bleeding and bruised either.

 **"I can do it for you."**

My eyes drifted upward, seeing a figure in front of me that was covered in shadows.

"Who are you?" I was surprised by how strong my voice sounded. Like I hadn't just been screaming for days.

 **"I am you."** They stepped out of the darkness, letting me get a look at their face. It was me... That was my body, but the whites of my eyes were black with red slits in the middle. **"I will help you."**

When their/my mouth opened, the teeth were sharp fangs that looked as sharp as a sharks. I stumbled backwards, trying to understand what was happening. It didn't make sense. None of this made sense.

 **"You weak creature... You can't do anything without me now."**

When I looked up, the thing was standing right in front of me, its hand reaching down and grabbing the front of my shirt. I was hauled to my feet and brought face to face with it, a long tongue coming from its mouth and trailing across my face. My body tensed and my eyes shut, waiting for the pain that I knew would come soon.

My body relaxed slightly, a calm coming over me as I heard a voice calling me. My eyes opened and I was once again chained to the chair. Another man was standing at the door, his dark and lifeless eyes staring at me with a dark pleasure. It made me sick.

"Poor thing... You're barely hanging on now. Should I just kill you?" A chuckle left him as he started walking towards me.

A smirk slid across my face as I suddenly moved. The chains around my wrists snapped easily, allowing me to move to the man and jump behind him, wrapping the chain around his neck and pulling tight.

It didn't take much strength until he stopped moving and dropped like a rock. I stared at his lifeless body for a minute, feeling satisfied at the image. He deserved it. He's done worse to me, so he deserved this death.

I heard someone laugh from the other room, my eyes drawing to the door as I took a breath and stood up straight. Time for some revenge.

What have I done? Why did I do that? Why did I not just escape and leave those men for someone else?

 **"You did good."**

"Shut up!" I held my head, holding my hair in fists as I slumped to my knees. My breathing was out of control as I tried to calm down, staring at my knees. My hands were caked in warm liquid, my hair knotted with the dry and crusty stuff. Blood. It was blood. From the men that hurt me. But I hurt them, so we're even.

No! No, I don't hurt people! I save people! This wasn't right!

"Peter?"

My head snapped up, seeing a very familiar gold and red suit of metal landing in front of me.

"Mr. Stark...?"

The suit opened up, Tony Stark himself stepping out and hesitantly moving towards me. Tony always made me better. He would know what to do. He had to.

 **"He doesn't care about you..."**

I ignored the voice and launched myself in Tony's arms, burying my face in his shoulder.

"Oh kid... What the hell happened to you? I've been looking everywhere for you." Tony pulled me closer to him, his hand on the back of my head and brushing it softly. "I was... They all thought that you were..."

"I-I killed them," I blurted out. "I don't know what happened, but I just... I couldn't take it any more and I killed them all. Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! But they- they didn't even ask me any questions! They didn't even ask me questions!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay." He took a deep breath and patted my shoulder lightly. "Friday, alert the team that I've found Peter. Tell Bruce to get the med-bay ready. I'll meet them all at the Compound."

"Roger that, boss."

Tony gently led me to his suit, letting the metal wrap around him before lifting me up in the arms. It was cold and hard and not comfortable at all, but it was so welcoming and familiar... I wrapped my arms around Iron Man's neck and struggled to hold back tears.

 **"You're weak."**

"Shut up..."

"What?"

I shook my head lightly as I closed my eyes, letting sleep overcome me.

I was in the red room again, staring at the evil version of me. We didn't speak, just stared at each other as we sat on the ground.

Stare.

Inhale.

Blink.

Exhale.

Repeat.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but in one blink, I was staring up at a spotless white ceiling. I knew this ceiling... this was the med-bay at the Avengers Compound. I was home...

"It was a slaughter house in there..." I heard Sam say in a hushed voice. "It looked like something a wild animal would do, not a sixteen year old kid."

"He was backed into a corner and tortured for a week, I'm sure any one of us would have done the same to get free."

They were talking about me… They saw what I did to those people and were talking about it while I was asleep… Did they not trust me? Were they scared of how I would react to them? They were scared of me now.

A surge of pleasure swelled inside me at the thought of people being scared of me, but I shook it off. I would not take pleasure in that. I wouldn't… But it still felt good. If people were scared of me, then that meant they would never hurt me. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be feared.

"Peter, are you awake?" I looked up to see Bruce step into the room with a clipboard and a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"

I hesitated slightly, looking away before answering. "I've honestly been better…"

Bruce placed a hand on my shoulder, my body flinching and hunching away from the touch. I don't know why I did that… Why did I do that? Bruce would never hurt me.

"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Banner. I-"

He held a hand up, stopping my apology. "Don't say sorry, Peter. You've just been through something awful and it'll take time for you to heal, physically and mentally. If the others and I ever do something you aren't comfortable with, feel free to tell us so. We don't want you to feel trapped or scared with us. Okay?"

Trapped… Bruce had seen what happened with those men at the warehouse. He was scared I would feel trapped… or cornered. He was scared of me. He thought I was a monster.

" **You should kill him."** The voice whispered, **"Show him true fear."**

It mortified me when that thought stayed in my head for more than a second. I could never kill Dr. Banner! He was a great man that has done so much to help the world! I would never-

"Peter?"

I blinked and shook my head slightly, looking up at Bruce's concerned face. I then remembered what he told me and started nodding, "Yeah, yeah, okay. I understand."

"Okay…" He glanced down at the clipboard before putting it in a pocket on the end of the bed. "The others are all waiting to see you outside, think you can handle some company?"

I opened my mouth to agree, but Sam's words rang through my head again and caused me to hesitate. What if they really were scared of me now? Tony brought me home when I was covered in the blood of four people, plenty of people would view that as creepy.

"It's fine if you don't, Peter." Bruce smiled, "Remember, you can say no."

"Actually… I'm still pretty tired. I think I'm going to go back to sleep."

"That's fine, after what you've been through, you need as much rest as you can get." The doctor patted my foot gently as he left the room, turning the light out as he went. It was only then that I realized it must have been after dark from how the room turned pitch black. A surge of fear ran through me as I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I wasn't there anymore. I wasn't waiting in a room for a man to dismember me. That was all over now. I had no reason to fear the dark.

" **You should always be afraid of the dark…"** The voice whispered, **"You should always feel fear."**

"Shut up." I opened my eyes and was back in that strange room with the strange me. It stared at me with those dark eyes, as if it knew something I didn't.

" **You've tasted my power. You can't stop now, you will always need me to save you."**

"What even are you? Where did you come from? Get out of my head…! Stop telling me to kill people! I don't want anything to do with this!"

" **You say that now, but how are you going to react?"**

"React to what?"

It only smirked at me before fading into nothingness.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, my heart hammering in my chest as I grabbed it and bent it away from me. I was in a blind panic as I wrapped my arms around a neck and tightened my muscles. I should look and see who it is that I'm defending myself from, but the chance of them getting free and hurting me again was too great. I had to end it now. Once and for all.

" **Good."**

" **Kill him…"**

" **Just like that."**

I felt the struggles start to slow down, felt the life slipping away from my foe. This was good. If they were dead, then I wouldn't be hurt anymore.

"Peter…"

My eyes widened as I looked at the head of black hair in from of me, the rough hands that were trying to pry my arms away from his neck. I quickly let go and stumbled away, panting hard as I watched Mr. Stark struggle to breath.

"Peter…" He glanced at me, an emotion I've never seen before reflecting in his eyes. "Kid, what…"

I didn't wait to hear what he was going to say, I turned and ran to the window. I busted through it and jumped out to the ground, running as fast as I could. The adrenaline pumping through my veins made it easy for me to push myself without feeling the pain of it. But even then… I wouldn't feel a thing.

They say that if you are hurt in two places, the larger pain outweighs the smaller.

The pain in my heart was definitely outweighing the pain in my legs and lungs.

I wanted to kill Tony Stark, my mentor and closest thing I have to a dad. I can't believe I would do something like that… And now… now what would he think of me? What would the others think of me? They would all hate me, they would think I turned into a villain and try to kill me as well.

They would want me dead…

I would just have to ki **ll them first.**

 **A/N: What even is this? I have no clue… It started out as a Venom story but I don't know anymore. It was also supposed to be posted yesterday but a major storm passed through and turned off the power for a long time and I'm just getting it back now… yay.**

 **If any of this seems familiar to you, that's probably because I got the idea for this story while watching Tokyo Ghoul and listening to the theme song Unravel. Ugh, I need to get into normal things! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

"The Recluse and his team have struck again, this time taking out a homeless shelter and leaving a horde of bodies in his wake-"

The TV silently shut off, a heavy aura hanging around the room. I sighed and rewound the footage of the new super villain that targeted seemingly harmless people.

He wore dark clothes and a plastic mask that covered most of his face, nothing but a single deadly brown eye peering out.

The Recluse was true to his name: thin, agile, lethal... He was able to avoid all kinds of law enforcement, appearing and disappearing in seconds with nothing but chaos as his calling card.

It wouldn't be long before the government called us in to take care of it. I could just imagine the urgency and demand in Secretary Ross' voice as he ordered me to kill this person. I almost felt bad that I wouldn't listen to him - again.

If it had been any other person, I wouldn't have hesitated to round up the others and take this scum bag out. I mean, who attacks the homeless for no reason? The Recluse, even if he would have been the only one attacking them, out powered the shelter so much he was off the charts.

But this wasn't just anyone... This wasn't someone I would be able to fight easily.

This was Peter. This was my Peter.

The others were skeptical at first when I brought them my theory of the new Evil Peter. But I knew that brown eye anywhere; no matter what emotion was in it, no matter how much hatred filled it, that was Peter's eye.

The night I brought him home something had changed in him, something snapped. The moment I found him wandering aimlessly through the streets I could tell that something was different; but after seeing that the kid was hurt I mistakenly wrote it off as recovering injuries.

That night, though... I saw the fear and darkness in his eyes as he launched himself out of bed and put me in a choke hold. I could feel a shift in his body as he held me that wasn't anything like Peter. Something dark was happening to the boy, and it was my job to fix it.

But why me? Why was I the one that had to fix it? I was in no way qualified to save this boy from whatever he was going through, I would probably only make things worse... I should get Steve or Bruce to help him. Steve's strength could match Peter's, and Bruce probably had some advice for a dark personality waking up inside of him! I should call them-

"Tony?"

My head snapped up to see Pepper standing at the door, my eyes softening as she came inside.

"Tony, you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's been a month already, when was the last time you got a proper night's sleep?"

"That's a trick question; you know I don't sleep even when I'm not dealing with a crisis."

She sighed and shook her head, one of her hands going to my shoulder. "You need to make up your mind; are you going to be the one to save him or will you send the others after him? Ever since you figured out that this was Peter, you've been torturing yourself about who will save him. I know you care for the boy, but the longer you mull this over, the longer he will suffer for it."

I closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair, "Damn it... Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?"

A small chuckle left her as she patted my shoulder, "No, it's too much fun sometimes."

It was silent for a while, just the two of us leaning against each other, lost in our own thoughts. She was right though, I couldn't sit here for much longer while Peter is out there.

While I couldn't relate to what the boy was going through, and didn't even know where to start at getting him back, I was the one that had to save him. He is my responsibility and I can't turn my back on him when he needs me... God, how was I going to be able to reach him though? How was I going to bring him back when I don't even know how he turned? Had the men who kidnapped him experimented on him? Did they put something inside him to turn him evil? Or did they brainwash him, like what happened with Bucky? It might be a good idea to wake up Eyeliner for this then? Or maybe just get King T'challa to help out instead...

"Tony?" Pepper moved away slightly to look at my face, studying to see what emotions I had written there.

"I'm going to bring him back," I finally said, looking up to meet her gaze. "I will save the kid."

A smile slowly spread across her face as she nodded, "Good."

 **A/N: Yooo! This story isn't dead! And neither am I apparently (or am I?)! This is a short chapter since I'm trying to get back in the spirit of writing again... A lot of stuff has been going on lately and I just feel so drained, but I really love this story and have been wanting to fix the horrible cliffhanger I left everyone on.**

 **I have a few more stories that I have been playing around with as well, all Iron Dad/Spider Son(of course) and I'm almost ready to publish some of them, so please keep your eyes open for when I do!**

 **Updates may be a bit slow since it's summer, it's the season of vacations and I definitely have a lot planned for the next few months. I just got back from my first vacation of the year to Dallas to watch my best friend graduate, and next week I'm going to an anime convention to do some cosplay and meet up with some fans (apparently I have fans of my cosplays, I don't know why though haha). But I'm definitely trying to update a lot of my stories! So please be patient!**

 **And remember: nice reviews = faster updates!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shout out to** _ **Princess Viris Potter**_ **and** _ **Sapphire-of-SHIELD**_ **for commenting on the last chapter and letting me know this story is still appreciated! The more comments I get, the faster I update!**

Screams of people plagued the night air of New York City, an omen of the evil that now lurked in the shadows. Civilians who heard the sounds hid in their homes, praying that they would be spared from the villain that terrorized their neighborhood.

The screams never lasted long though, it was always soon replaced by a bone-chilling laugh. It was laughter filled with insanity that no normal person could make. It caused both child and adult alike to have nightmares, no one ever truly able to rest easy while the monster was near. Honestly, the people would have preferred the screams... the laughter was much worse. Because while the screams meant that people were being hurt, the laughter meant that the Recluse was nearby to kill them.

The people weren't always killed after their 'torture sessions', they were let go the majority of the time (a little worse for wear but alive). When the Recluse was involved though, it was a nightmare for everyone. The bodies would be dismembered and beaten until they died, the villain laughing the whole time.

He and his team wouldn't stay for long though, a week at most before they left to another Borough. It was why the police had a hard time catching them when they would jump suddenly and without any warning to the Bronx or Brooklyn or any other borough. Although, they never appeared in Manhattan...

Some believed it was because the Recluse was scared of the Avengers Tower that was still there - albeit empty. And that was true, in part. The Avengers had a control over the Recluse that he couldn't shake. Their names were fine, even seeing some of their pictures was alright, but if he wandered too close to the Tower or saw a glimpse of Iron Man... The Recluse struggled to keep control.

On a normal day, the boy in his mind slept through the killings and criminal stuff. He had fought for weeks in the beginning but eventually tired himself out and gave up. But once, when the Recluse had gotten within seeing distance of Avengers Tower, the fight was much harder. It didn't help that the boy saw street art of the Avengers and his eyes locked on the picture of Tony Stark. And for a few minutes, he had control. Peter was free and about to call for help. Peter was going to go to Mr. Stark and they'd find a way to fix this!

But he had blinked and suddenly Peter was no longer there.

" _Let me out_!" Peter's daily struggle brought the Recluse back to reality, a bored sigh almost leaving him as he walked down the street.

" **I am here to protect you**."

" _But who's going to protect the people you're killing_?"

" **The people I kill are evil, vile creatures**." His voice was so calm and smooth, so sure of itself, Peter had to pause in his frenzy. " **By killing them, I'm saving countless others**."

" _You're... saving others_?"

" **Yes, I am here to help you**."

Had Peter gotten it wrong? Was this dark persona of himself actually here to better the city? Peter has never killed the bad guys he fought, but maybe he should? That way there would be no chance of them hurting others.

" **Kill who I tell you to**..."

Peter was brought back in control, standing in an alley and just staring at the ground. He was questioning everything he knew, everything he fought for... He was in control of his body but lost in his mind.

He stood there until after dark, moving only because he was forced to.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing here all by yourself?" A deep voice snickered, "Shouldn't you run home to your mommy?"

" **Kill him, he has a gun and is going to try killing you**."

Peter's eyes snapped over to the man, feeling the evil and malicious intent rolling off of him in waves.

"My mother is dead." Was all he said before attacking the man. Peter kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back against a brick wall before slamming his fist into the man's face. It didn't take long before the man was dead; Peter wasn't holding back and no normal human could survive under his full strength. And yet, even as he was dead, Peter still kept punching him. Over and over and over, a laugh building within him at the blood that stained both the wall and him.

" **See, Peter? You've been doing this all along. Do you remember now? You save people by killing others. It's always been you killing those lowlifes, and you enjoy it**."

Peter's only response was to continue his laugh as he kept attacking the body. It was now unrecognizable in a grotesque way, but still Peter pelted it with his fists. His eyes were wide in a crazed type of glee, his laughter causing the people in the area to run for cover. But his laughter also attracted people to him, the nearby shadows suddenly alive with movement as fellow 'heroes' joined him. They watched on as Peter assaulted the body for an unknown length of time, before he suddenly stopped and stood up straight.

Peter stared down at his gory masterpiece, his smile spreading wider on his face that was marked with blood. The man didn't have a gun, but he did have a wallet with pictures of a family. Strangely, that didn't bother Peter though. Because while the pictures seemed happy, Peter knew better. Peter knew that this man would come home drunk and beat them every night. This man was evil, he wasn't a good father and loving husband. The family would thank him for taking this person out of their lives.

They would thank him.

Thank him...

Peter turned to look at his followers, scanning over their wary faces. "Someone bring me a box! We'll give a present to the family of this man!"

 **A/N: I am on vacation again! Woo! I'm at an anime convention in Houston! It's been a year since I was at a con, it's so good to be back 'home'... haha! I was supposed to cosplay Black Widow today, but I dyed my hair so I can't cosplay her anymore (my hair was red like hers, so I never got a wig).**

 **If you're interested in seeing pictures from the con, you can check out my Instagram: Karmitara. I'll probably post something on TikTok too, under the same username hahah.**


	4. Chapter 4

Even with his decision made, Tony Stark was having a slightly hard time locating Peter. No one dared to report the Recluse while he was in their area, only after he left would the police be notified of the dead bodies in some rundown part of a neighborhood. But Peter would already be on the other side of the city by then...

Tony went to check one of the crime scenes, Natasha, Clint, and Cap tagging along to help out. They were the ones trained to track people down after all. Though even they couldn't do much good when the only thing there was a massive pool of blood and rotting bodies.

It was their first time being at the scene physically, and it was horrifying. The pictures that they had all seen, and what had been shown in the news, had been greatly played down.

"Are you sure that this is Peter?" Steve asked in a whisper, leaning close to Tony so that the police wouldn't hear. "Because even if he had snapped, these murders... they aren't human."

Tony's heart was pounding in his chest, his throat closing up and his head fuzzy. Because Steve was right, this wasn't the doing of a human. These murders were animistic, savage, the work of a monster... The way the bodies had been thrown into a pile in the corner of the room, some of the limbs separated from the person; the blood splattering the walls and reaching even to the ceiling before it pooled all across the floor... Could Peter really do this? Or was it something else? Was this the work of the underlings that had started to follow Peter's dark persona, the Recluse?

There were so many questions that Tony didn't have the answer to, but what he did know was that Peter would be traumatized when he returned. Peter might not ever be the same again if this kept on for any longer... Not to mention if the news media made the connection between the Recluse and Spider-Man.

"No, it's him." All eyes went to Clint as he crouched by the wall, staring at something on the floor. The others joined him to see what he was looking at, finding the Spider-Man symbol scratched into the floor. "Though, I don't think it's really _him_ that's in control."

Steve glanced around, waving his hands at the policemen to signal them to leave. He waited until they were all gone to ask, "What do you mean?"

Clint stood, looking at Tony, "You said that when you last saw Peter, you felt something about him had changed? Like something had snapped inside of him? What if Peter created a split personality to protect himself while he was kidnapped by those men? He's attacking people now because he may think that they'll hurt him."

"He's still scared..." Nat continued, "He thinks that the men who hurt him are still out there? Or that everyone is out to get him now? So the second personality is still out and trying to protect him, but the real Peter may be trying to fight back, if this symbol is anything to go by."

"Scared..." Tony shook his head as he took a step back and ran his hands through his hair. "Does this look like the work of someone that's _scared_ to you? This is literally a bloody massacre! This is the work of someone that's twisted and demonized, not scared! Look at the faces on the bodies; even in death they're agonized!"

"Tony-"

"It was my job to protect him!" Tony turned his back on them as he clenched his jaw, "I was supposed to protect him but I didn't and he was kidnapped and now this is happening! What do you think is going to happen if we do get Peter back? You know how righteous that boy is, you know that this will destroy him in a completely different way!"

"So you're going to give up on him?" Natasha stared at the back of Tony's head, her eyes hard. "It took you long enough to decide to start looking for him, now that you're faced with the truth of what's happening, you're going to give up?"

"I never said that," Tony wheeled around to hold her glare, a fire in his eyes as he silently challenged her to say that again.

"You're acting like it."

"I will find him."

" _We_ will find him," Steve placed his hand on Tony's shoulder, squeezing it firmly. "You aren't alone in this, Tony. And neither is Peter; we will find him and bring him back, and then we'll help him get through any memories he has of this."

The group looked at Steve, Clint nodding in agreement as Nat and Tony confirmed their determination with their eyes. They would find Peter as a team, and help him just the same.

"Now, we just need to figure out a way to track him down. Nat, any way you can find some of his followers? I'm sure they would lead us to Peter at some point."

The woman nodded as she crossed her arms, "Yeah, people like that will stand out. It'll be easy to find them and follow them back to Peter."

"Good, we'll move on your call then. In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan to capture him."

"Capture him?" Tony squinted an eye at the Captain, "You make it sound like he's-"

"An enemy?" Steve placed his hand on Tony's shoulder, "Tony, Peter is not himself right now and there's a definite possibility that he'll attack us as well. We need to be prepared for every possible situation if we want to get him back. He could attack us, run from us, hell he could even be scared of us. After all this time, and he still hasn't come back, I don't think he'll be too compliant now."

Everyone was silent, knowing that Steve was right. This wasn't just a case of mind control or possession, this was mental. And even though they hated to admit it, Peter might never truly return to his old self...

"Excuse me," A voice interrupted as one of the police officers came back into the room, bringing the Avengers' attention on him. "I thought you would like to know, a family a few blocks over just received a package that contained her husband's head..."

"Okay?" Clint raised an eyebrow, obviously wondering why the officer would think this information would be good for them.

"It had a note in it from the Recluse."

Oh. That was why they needed to know.

"C'mon, let's go check it out." Tony stalked towards the door, letting the officer lead the way to the house. This news sent a chill down his spine, not liking this one bit... But if the Recluse wrote a note, it might help them a great deal when it came to reversing whatever physiological problems the boy had. And if not, at least it would let them have some clue about the new him.

With solemn expressions, the small team left for the grieving family.

 **A/N: So... I don't think this is staying to true to the Tokyo Ghoul season 2 plot line... Hopefully I can bring that back because without it I have no idea where this story is going. Maybe it would help if I actually watched the series again...**

 **Anyway, please remember to leave a review! I love getting those and they make me write faster! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

"My husband is - was - a good man, I don't understand why this Recluse thinks he wasn't," Came the distressed cry as the Avengers got near the house. Each one of them hid a silent groan as they approached, not looking forward to the conversation they were about to have...

Rounding the corner, the team was faced with police tape and officers galore. Two of the officers were standing with a woman that had tears in her eyes as she spoke to them, obviously the grieving widow...

"Why has no one stopped him yet?" She cried, "Why haven't the Avengers done something about him yet?"

"That's what we're here to fix," Steve announced as he strode over to them. "I am deeply sorry for the loss of your husband. But we will do everything in our power to catch the Recluse, you have my word."

The woman was shocked to say the least, her eyes wide as she gazed at the small group in front of her. "Y-Yes, thank you. I'll trust you to take care of it then..."

They all gave a small nod to her just as Clint stepped forward and looked around at all the people in the area before looking back to the woman. "I'm sorry, but we're going to need to see... what he left for you."

Her eyes averted as she gazed at the ground, tears building in her eyes as she hesitantly nodded. "Of... Of course. One of the officers has it; I don't remember which one..."

Clint and Nat both started walking off to where a group of police were, no doubt going to inquire about the note and leaving Tony and Steve to deal with the emotional widow.

"I hope that Recluse dies just as painfully as my husband," She muttered, looking back up at the two Avengers. "Is it wrong of me to wish that? To wish for some kind of justice to come from this? My husband didn't deserve what happened to him..." Tears started to fill her eyes as her voice cracked, "He was out last night because our daughter wanted ice cream and he had eaten it all earlier that day. He was... he was killed because of ice cream."

Neither of the men could look at her, their own emotions getting in the way. Both felt a sense of guilt, but Tony was definitely blaming himself for all that had happened. If only he could have found Peter sooner... If only he hadn't of startled Peter that night, then he would be getting the help he truly needed. If only he had done more...

Steve didn't blame himself as much as Tony, but he did feel the same - albeit smaller - guilt. He was supposed to have picked Peter up from school that day to bring to the Compound; he was supposed to have been there when Peter was kidnapped... He could have saved Peter if he had gone. But he didn't; all because some kids stopped him in the park on his evening run and he lost track of the time.

So many things that could have been done differently, leaving them all with the problem at hand: a grieving widow demanding Peter's death.

"I knew he shouldn't have gone! I told him that it could have waited until morning! But he spoils Rachel so much and couldn't handle her crying! I knew immediately that something was wrong... the store was only a fifteen minute walk, but he didn't come home - and then I opened my door this morning to get the paper and I saw that package...! And that note!"

She continued on for a while, ranting and crying and blaming the world for her problems... Tony would have tuned out by now but that damned guilt wouldn't let him. So his phone ringing was almost like a gift from God.

"Wait, hold on," Tony stopped her, his voice quiet as he pulled out his phone, "I need to take this call."

The man stepped away from them, looking closely at the ID before sighing as he tapped the green button and held the device to his ear. "Ned Leeds, I presume? This is a private number, should I be concerned with how you got it?"

"Oh my God, Tony Stark knows my name..." The voice of a young boy muttered on the other end of the phone, a small smile quirking Tony's lips before Ned seemed to get control of his inner fanboy. "Y-Yes, sir- I mean no, sir! You don't have to worry, Peter... He gave me your number with a strict 'emergencies only' rule."

"Peter did?" Tony's brows shot up, his eyes widening, "When?"

"A week or so after our Homecoming party, sir..."

Disappointment filled Tony as he sighed again. He really should have known. "Yes, of course... Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Leeds? Is this an emergency? Because I'm kind of in the middle of something now."

"I understand, sir... It's just... I was wondering... You know that Recluse villain that everyone's so scared of? Is that... Is that Peter?"

It took Tony a while to respond, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to comprehend what Ned just said. Did he believe that the Recluse really was Peter when even some of his team members still had their doubts?

"What makes you say that?" He asked quickly, trying to cover up his momentary hesitance.

"I know that Peter is Spider-Man - I'm his guy-in-the-chair after all. But Peter stopped coming to school and doing Spidey things around the same time that the Recluse started making himself known. And I'm not the only one that's starting to put things together, there are a couple others that are saying Peter and the Recluse in the same sentences now too! Well... MJ isn't really saying it... but she is thinking it! And Flash is just saying that Peter was one of the Recluse's victims that haven't been found yet. But people are starting to talk! And I have to know, is it true? Is Peter really the Recluse?"

Taking a deep breath, Tony ran a hand down his face. He could really use a drink right now...

But that would come after the more pressing issue. Should he tell him? How would Ned handle it? Tony hadn't even told May about Peter yet! The woman only knew that Peter was missing! What was he even supposed to say?

"Sir?" Ned hesitantly asked when the silence continued for more than a moment.

"...Yes." Tony heaved out a sigh, his shoulders sagging a bit. "It's true."

Over the line, Ned's breath audibly hitched as they both fell into silence once again. It was more than a minute later when the boy finally spoke again, "You'll get him back... right?"

"Definitely," Tony claimed, and with every fiber of his being, Tony believed that was true.

He would definitely get Peter back.

 **A/N: Yay this story isn't dead (yet)! I'm going to try focusing on finishing this story before I start anymore. I have a few Spider-Man stories stirring in my mind that I really want to get out, but if I start them now I won't finish this and it'll all be a huge mess... And I still need to finish that Thor story too... Preferably before Thor 4 comes out because I think I know a few things that are going to happen in that movie that I plan to put in my story... Ughhh too many stories I need to finish before I can start working on the 50 others I want T^T (This A/N probably makes no sense... It's 3:27am and I don't think I have enough energy to write anymore. I still have to proof everything too... Ugh. Wish me luck! Sorry for any misspellings)**


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